Improved devices for lowering and detaching boats from their davits



N. PETERS. PHDTO-IJTNOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D. C4

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UNITED' STATES PATENT OEETeE CARL EENRIK EAMSTEN, or' oARLsKnoNA, SWEDEN.

IMPROVED DEVICES FOR LOWERING AND DETACHING BOATS FROM THEIR DAVITS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 59, [53, dated October 23, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CARL HENRIK RAMs- TEN, ofGarlskrona, in the Kingdom of Sweden, and now temporarily residin gin the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Devices for Lowering and Securing Ships and other Vessels Boats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact descript-ion, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a sectional side elevation of a ships boat in its raised position, or as attached to the davits or their falls, with my improvement applied thereto; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same when the boat is detached from the falls and on its coming in contact with the water; Fig. 3, a transverse section of the same when the boat is in the position represented in Fig. l, Fig. 4, a view of the hook that connects the boat to the falls, also dctaches it therefrom, said hook being shown detached and on an enlarged scale; and Fig. 5, aview, in perspective, of a lever that may be used for opening the hook that holds the boat at its one end to the falls.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in all the gures.

The importance of a ready and secure mode of lowering ships boats at sea or in other waters has been a matter of much consideration by many, and various attempts have` been made from time to time to accomplish the same, so that the boat when raised would be held secure to its connection with the davits, but when lowered would be Linder no restraint from the falls on reaching the water.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in a novel construction of the hooks that connect the boat at either end with the falls, and which, while they retain a irm hold of the boat when raised, are capable of being made to disengage themselves from the falls, when the latter are only partially relieved of the weight of the boat on its entering the water, or which may be made to free themselves from connection with the falls before the boat reaches the water; and my invention further consists in a novel connection of such disengaging-hooks at or to opposite ends of the boat that insures their joint action', likewise,

in a peculiarly-constructed stopper to lock or release the connection that links the hooks at opposite ends of the boat together; also, in a novel mode of securing and disengaging the gripe by which the boat is lashed or held to the vessel.

1n the accompanyingdrawings, the boat A is shown as slung by or to ordinary davits B B, provided with the usual fall-tackle (l C, of which a a represent the falls. D D are the hooks that connect the falls with the boat. These vhooks I prefer should each he constructed as follows: First, of a lever, b, with eyes at either end, whereby to attach boatchains m n, or their equivalents; and pivoted to this lever is an arm, c, to the outer end of which is pivoted a hook end, d, that, when closed, rests on the one edge of the lever b, with its nose entering or in close proximity to the arm c, so as to form a close loop in link with the falls-tackle hook or ring. This hook end opens upward, and, with its arm c, swings back or laterally when disengaging itself from the tackle, as seen in Fig. 2. This, it will be obvious, occurs whenever the falls are relieved of their weight by the boat resting on the water, and may be before the boat is fairly floated, the release of weight or strain on the hook causing the latter, by reason of its construction and attachment to freely disengage itself. Such hook, however, Without the aid of any other lock,is held to its closed condition when the full weight of the boat and its load is upon it, so that, without it be so desired, (provision for which will be hereinafter described,) there will be no disengagement take place till the boat strikes or is let into the water.

When the boat is raised and lashed to the vessel by the gripe, the hook end d may be locked to the lever c by a hinged brace, e, and locking-pin, f, the latter united, say, by cord or chain to the davit. A lashing of yarn may lalso be used to tie the locking-piu f to the hook, so as to keep the pin from becoming accidentall y detached, said yarn breaking by the pull on the pin of the cord that unites it to the davit on lowering the boat.

The one chain or rod, m, at either end ofthe boat, secured to au eyebolt in the bottom thereof, serves to connect the hook from one end of the lever b to a xed point in the boat, while the other chain, n, at either end, is rove through an eyebolt at the bottom, and attached by hook, shackle, or in any other way, to a rod, E, arranged to run along the keelson, and held from slidinglongitudinally, when not required to do so, by a peculiarly-constructed stopper, F, which is made up ot' a lever having its ful crum g in the boat on one side of the rod E, and made so as to be capable of being thrown over either into lock with the rod by a reduction, 7L, therein, and with a lockingsnug, i, through which and the lever a cross-pin may be passed; or said stopper may be thrown back out of gear with the rod E, and into lock or gear with a snug,j, and be pinned thereto.

The object of the rod Eis, when unlocked from thestopper, to insure the joint action of the disengagiug-hooks D D. Thus, supposing one of the hooks to be first disengaged, its chain n slackening allows of the chain n of the other hook to draw upon the sliding rod E, and gives for a short interval a loose suspension or run of the other chain n., while its adjoining chain, m, keeps taut, which causes its hook likewise to disengage. When, however', the boat is raised and secured and the sliding rod E returned to its normal position, the

stopper Fis thrown into lock with said rod, which then serves to keep united and in lock, as they are secured, the closed hooks D D, so that the accidental opening of one hook does notnecessarilyinvolve the opening of the other.

Instead of the rod E being' arranged along the keelson, it may be along the thwart of the boat, and the chains m a situated accordingly.

As at times it may be necessary to detach the boat before it reaches the water, the lever b of the one hook may have a pin, lf, onto which may be fitted a slotted lever, G, that,

on the stopper F being raised from lock with the rod E, will serve, by the action, it may be, of a single 1na-n to open the one 'hook,`and by the connection,as described, of the two hooks, to disengage the other.

To further expedite the launching of the shut by the fall being lapped round the 0tl1er oi' them on making tight said fall to its cleat; but on letting go the fall to lower the boat, then the gripe freely releases itself by the doublejointed hook having nothin g to restrain it from opening and the pull of the gripe on it by the weight ot' the boat.

Any ordinary hook attachment may be furnished the boatt'or raising it by the falls-tackle;

' or the disengaging-hooks themselves, provided they be locked by any suitable pins with which the boat maybe furnished, may be used for this purpose. Y

VVhatI claim herein as new and useful, and desire to secure by Letters Iatent, is- 1. The hooks D D, constructed substantially as described, ot' a lever, b, pivoted arm c, and hook end d,`for operation essentially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combina-tion, with disengaging-hooks, as described, at or to opposite ends ot' the boat, of the connection between the hooks as formed by the rod E and chains an, foraction in `the manner described.

3. The stopper F, in combination with the rod E, chain n, and lcverb, for operation together, essentially as specified.

4. In combination with the gripe H, the doublejointed hook 1' s, constructed and arranged to hold the gripe when said hook is lashed by the fall, but relieved therefrom when the fall is released, substantially as herein set forth.

o. H. nAMsTEN. IVitnesses:

A. LECLERC, Gr. W. REED. 

